'''Shakirail''' is a temporary artistic workspace composed of shared workshops, dance/theatre rehearsal rooms, a music room, an association office and a library. Former cloakroom and training centre, owned by the SNCF, this space consisting of two buildings of 800 and 600 m² has been made available to the Collectif Curry Vavart for an indefinite period.

'''Shakirail''' is a temporary artistic workspace composed of shared workshops, dance/theatre rehearsal rooms, a music room, an association office and a library. Former cloakroom and training centre, owned by the SNCF, this space consisting of two buildings of 800 and 600 m² has been made available to the Collectif Curry Vavart for an indefinite period.

ZAC Pajol is located in the northeast of Paris, in the 18th arrondissement. The district is bordered by important railway rights-of-way that were developed there in the 19th century. The ZAC extends over approximately three hectares along the railway lines, between the streets du Department, Pajol and Riquet. The buildings on this former SNCF site, are attached to the Gare de l'Est : - the hall and the administrative building Messageries - thus constitute traces of the railway past of this territory.

Highlights of the Pajol ZAC eco-neighbourhood project

The Pajol ZAC project has a long time frame. Its history can be broken down into three parts:

First project in 1994-95 under the direction of Jacques Chirac and after him Jean Tiberi: a project for a complex of 620 housing units for which it was planned to destroy the hall.

Second project presented at the beginning of the 2000s, at the beginning of the first Delanoë mandate, including equipment and providing for the destruction of the hall.

Third project designed from 2002, based on the principle of a ZAC without housing but with facilities and green spaces and in which it is planned to rehabilitate the hall.

Influence of the inhabiting mobilization on the project's fundamentals

It was the initial opposition of the inhabitants to the destruction of the hall that led the Deputy Mayor to request a complete overhaul of the project. Thus, it seems that the mobilization of the inhabitants has significantly modified the initial objectives. Indeed, the project's shift towards facilities rather than housing is presented as taking into account the expectations of the inhabitants. It is in fact a response to the opposition expressed by the associations to the master plan proposed by the APUR in 2002. In the end, thanks to their mobilization, the associations managed to maintain part of the Hall as a heritage element and make the ZAC a housing-free operation. Subsequently, some community representatives remained mobilized throughout the operation and were involved in meetings during which discussions and negotiations took place mainly on programmatic aspects.

The development process of the Pajol ZAC

For several reasons the development process of the Pajol ZAC is an exceptional project. Firstly because it emerged through bottom up movements, something only applicable to 8 % of ecodistricts in France. Secondly, because the involvement of the inhabitants took place within a climate of trust. The means created to develop the ZAC provided highly effective forums of exchange and dialogue for the programming, urban master plan and public spaces. These meeting frameworks sought solutions that went much further than the accession and appropriation objectives that generally govern the decisions taken by elected representatives and professionals. Finally, because the involved inhabitants decided to extend their commitment beyond the handover of the buildings by organising cultural events around public amenities or by becoming involved in the Paris Nord Est project. However, despite the presence of one of their representatives in the architectural competition juries, the inhabitants were not invited to participate in the choices made on an architectural level (spatial devices, materials, energy, etc.) which remained within and inter-professional sphere. In that sense, the project illustrates a constant noted in the research carried out in the field of city planning and concerning the participative approach in France : even in projects where the inhabitants are considerably involved, the latter are rarely invited to participate in all aspects of the project development process.

Architectural project

From an architectural point of view, the Halle Pajol rehabilitation is an exceptional project: in addition to the complexity of the mix of the programme (youth hostel, activities, library and garden), there are also the complexity of the rehabilitation of the Halle, an element of the 19th century industrial heritage and the ecological dimension.

When renovating the former warehouse in Paris which was originally earmarked for demolition, the architects used the existing steel structure as weather protection for a new four-storey timber building below it and as an energy roof for a district with offices, shops, youth hostel and library. The south-facing surfaces of the saw-tooth roof are partly covered with photovoltaic modules and solar collectors so that a good use of daylight is guaranteed in the free areas. Although no new structural approach is adopted here, it succeeds in achieving a model neighbourhood development with a sustainable structural and energy concept.

The main principles of the architectural party

1. The Hall

It is the protective envelope of the building. It thus affirms its rebirth. The structure of the Hall, freed from its overloads and any new constraints and the response to current regulations, thus regains its character as a shelter, with lightweight structures, enhanced in contrast to the wooden volumes it protects.

2. The buildings

In contrast to the hall, they are very pure, parallelepiped volumes, built of wood (walls, floors and facades), laid on foundations independent of those of the Hall, and "slid" behind the support posts of the sheds' roof, in complete independence. These buildings are very compact, thus limiting energy losses. Their 47 cm thick walls are insulated to eliminate heating needs when the buildings are occupied, and to provide important comfort in summer.

3. The garden.

Between the hall and the railway tracks, Pajol's gardens stretch from north to south, in the largest dimension of the site. A long railway garden outlines a continuous route: covered under the Pajol Hall, open further north. This linear space is organized in successive strips, in vegetable slides.

4. The ecological footprint of the building

The project presented is a pilot project for the City of Paris, minimizing the ecological impact of the building. To do this, the architect has processed the following items:

. Flexibility, dismantling, deconstruction

. A positive energy building.

. Saving and good management of resources, in air, water, materials

. Lighting comfort

. Preservation of biodiversity

. Construction site

. Care and maintenance

. The building's technical monitoring logbook

. Communication and pedagogy

Initiatives in and around

LIST TO BE COMPLETED

Shakirail is a temporary artistic workspace composed of shared workshops, dance/theatre rehearsal rooms, a music room, an association office and a library. Former cloakroom and training centre, owned by the SNCF, this space consisting of two buildings of 800 and 600 m² has been made available to the Collectif Curry Vavart for an indefinite period.

AMAP HSBC is an association of inhabitants that want to eat organic and local food and take into account the fair remuneration of market gardeners and various producers.

Draft atelier is a collaborative manufacturing facility for self-employed workers consisting of a digital workshop, a wood workshop, and a textile workshop.

Community Garden Comme-un jardin (Commons Garden) Located at Halle Pajol, in the heart of Rosa Square Luxembourg, this shared garden has been open since June 2014. It has a vocation as a neighbourhood tree nursery, an educational objective and a role as a social link within the district thanks to the implementation of several collective and experimental plots. It is a "common" space at the service of the inhabitants of the district. Its educational dimension is supported by the implementation of spaces for the preservation of edible species in the region, as well as various cultivation systems inspired by permaculture (Keyhole garden, aromatic spiral, vertical supports, fruit hedges, etc.) or educational (aquaponic modules, henhouse, etc.).

Mam'Ayoka (which gives joy in the Yoruba language - West Africa) is a gastronomic cooperative. Mam'Ayoka offers work to women far from work who prepare dishes from their own gastronomy that are served in a jar of returnable glass.